To celebrate the 175th anniversary of its founding, the Patek Philippe manufacture has created a collection of limited edition commemorative timepieces, one of which particularly stands out: the Grandmaster Chime. It is the brand's most complicated wristwatch and certainly one of the most complicated wristwatches in the world. This is not only because of the number of its complications (no fewer than 20), but also because it is equipped with a double dial that can be worn either on one side or the other, thus highlighting the hour indications and chimes, as well as the instant perpetual calendar. This practicality of use is ensured by an ingenious mechanism, located in the lugs of the strap, which allows the case to be rotated and the watch to be securely fixed in the chosen position. Essential information such as the time - hours/minutes - and date appear on both dials. Among the much-appreciated and long-awaited functions are the large and small chime (the former automatically strikes the hours and quarters every quarter-hour, the latter only the quarters), the minute repeater, the instant perpetual calendar with a four-digit year display, a second time zone, and two patented world firsts in the field of chimes, namely an acoustic alarm that sounds the alarm time and a date repeater that sounds the calendar day at will. The movement is the hand-wound GS AL 36-750 QIS FUS IRM calibre. The watch, in 18-carat rose gold, with a laurel leaf decoration hand-engraved in relief on the bezel, is in a limited edition of just seven pieces: six are destined to be sold to loyal collectors of Patek Philippe watches, while the seventh piece will occupy a place of honour in the windows of the Patek Philippe Museum, where the public will be able to admire it.
Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 5175
The 20 complications:
1 Large ringer
2 Small ringer
3 Repeat minutes
4 Ringer type indicator (Silent/Big Ringer/Small Ringer)
5 Alarm clock that rings the hour
6 Date Repeat
7 Movement power reserve
8 Ringer Power Reserve
9 Ring isolation indicator
10 Second time zone
11 Day/Night in the second time zone
12 Perpetual calendar
13 Day
14 Months
15 Date (on both quadrants)
16 Leap Year Cycle
17 Year in four digits (thousandth)
18 24-hour and minute display
19 Moon Phases
20 Crown position indicator (RAH)
